1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sensors for monitoring atrial fibrillation in a patient.
2. Description of Related Art
Various dental procedures require the dentist or oral surgeon to precisely locate a patient's existing dental implants and pre-implants, to assess soft tissue thickness and to assess or locate other features in the jaw. For example, during dental implant surgery, direct knowledge of the soft tissues and bony structures in the mouth can aid the surgeon in placing the implant by optimizing positioning of the implant to structurally sound regions, with appropriate soft tissue management, avoid existing implants and further to avoid nerves within the jaw.
The most common technique currently used to generate this information is to use a rigid periodontal probe. However, a rigid probe can be inaccurate and invasive. Conventional dental X-ray's can also be used for these purposes. However, conventional X-rays do not provide depth information required for true location or depth assessment. X-ray computed tomography (CT) can be employed, however, this technique is often not practical due to cost, cannot be performed in real time, intra-operatively during a surgical manipulation, and uses ionizing radiation.
Further disadvantages of conventional approaches will be evident to one skilled in the art when presented the disclosure that follows.